Who could have imagined our circumstances this Hanukkah? This year, it is more important than ever to bring some light into our lives and drive away the darkness.
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Below, I’m bringing you two classic recipes for sufganiyot.
May your Festival of Lights be filled with peace.
Spelt Sufganiyot
Makes 15-18 sufganiyot.
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. water
- 3 Tbsp. canola oil
- 1 egg
- ½ cup sugar
- 25 gr. fresh yeast (or 1 Tbsp. dry yeast)
- 2 cups white wheat flour, sifted
- 1 ½ cups spelt flour, sifted
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
- 1 tsp. brandy
- 1 heaping tsp. salt
For making the sufganiyot:
- ½ cup flour, sifted
- Oil for deep-frying
Filling:
- Red jam, or any other jam
Topping:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Add the water, oil, egg, sugar, yeast, wheat and spelt flour, lemon zest, and brandy to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix slowly for 3 minutes, then add the salt, and mix on medium speed for 6 minutes.
The dough should be soft and pliant, and a little sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too dry, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, then cover it and let it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature. Next, knead the dough again inside the bowl, and punch out all the air. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead it well. Roll out the dough until it’s 1 cm. thick. Take a small glass and cut out circles. Form the circles into balls, then let them rise in a warm place for 20 minutes until they double in size.
Heat the oil in a pot for deep-frying. Add a few of the balls, flipping them over so that the expanded part that was facing up goes face down into the hot oil. This will then cause the smooth side to expand. Cover the pot and let the sufganiyot fry for 1 minute. Remove the cover, let the sufganiyot fry for 1 more minute, then flip them all over.
You’ll start to see the white line that separates the two sides. When they’re done, remove them and place them on paper towels. Use a syringe or pastry bag to add the filling to the interior of the sufganiyot. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
- Level of difficulty: Medium
- Time: 2 hours
- Status: Parve
Mini Sufganiyot
Makes 30 sufganiyot.
- 3 ½ cups flour, sifted
- 25 gr. fresh yeast
- 25 gr. bread improver
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 medium egg
- 2 Tbsp. yogurt or chocolate yogurt
- 3 Tbsp. oil or 30 gr. butter
- 1 tsp. brandy
- 1 Tbsp. orange or lemon zest
- ¾ – 1 cup water, depending on absorbency of flour
- Oil for deep-frying
Toppings:
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Milk chocolate, melted
- White chocolate, melted
- Nuts, coarsely chopped
Place the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the yeast, bread improver, and sugar. Mix a little, then add the salt.
Form a well in the center of the flour, then add the egg, yogurt, oil or butter, brandy, and orange or lemon zest.
Mix the dough slowly, then gradually add the water. Mix the dough until it falls away from the side of the bowl.
Cover the dough and place the bowl in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in volume.
Take a bit of the dough and form balls with a diameter of 2 or 3 cm. Let the balls rise in a warm place for another 20 minutes until they double in size.
Heat the oil in a pot for deep frying. Add a few of the balls to the oil, flipping them over so that the expanded part that was facing up goes first into the hot oil. This will then cause the smooth side to expand. When the first side is done, turn them over to fry on the other side. When they are done, remove the sufganiyot and place them on paper towels.
Vary the sufganiyot with the following toppings:
Sugar: Add some sugar to a wide bowl, and roll the sufganiyot in the sugar as soon as they come out of the oil.
Cinnamon: Add 1 cup of sugar, plus a tablespoon and a half of cinnamon to a wide bowl and mix well. Roll the sufganiyot in the cinnamon-sugar as soon as they come out of the oil.
Chocolate: Melt the milk/or white chocolate in a bowl; dip the sufganiyot in the melted chocolate as soon as they come out of the oil. Add nuts.
- Level of difficulty: Medium
- Time: 2.5 hours
- Status: Dairy
Translated by Hannah Hochner.